Department for Transport

Ports

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 25 October (HL10562), what is their forecast for the level of growth in (1) the UK’s port unit load traffic, and (2) port productivity for each of the next five years; and what is their forecast in the event of a no-deal outcome to the Brexit negotiations.

baroness sugg: The Department for Transport is currently preparing port freight demand forecasts, and will publish these once complete. The Government does not produce forecasts of port productivity.The Government expects to complete a withdrawal deal, but our aim in the event of a no-deal outcome is to ensure that unit-load traffic can continue to flow as expeditiously and efficiently as possible so that the volume of trade in aggregate can be maintained.

Department for International Development

Jordan: Floods

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they have offered to the Jordanian authorities following the recent flash floods in southern Jordan; and whether they have offered any practical assistance in the protection of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Petra.

lord bates: The UK is monitoring the flash flooding in Jordan closely, and our thoughts are with those affected. The Jordanian Government is currently leading the response in providing assistance. DFID has provided £18.9m to support UNESCO initiatives in 2018. This includes the UNESCO World Heritage International Assistance Fund from which Petra has received aid in the past. The Jordanian Government has not requested support in relation to the recent flooding, and we are not aware of any requests for assistance from UNESCO.

UNESCO

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the effectiveness of the Department for International Development being responsible for the UK's membership of UNESCO, given that UNESCO aims to promote peace through international cooperation in education, sciences and culture.

lord bates: UNESCO’s mandate and work is wide-reaching, ranging from leading the delivery of SDG 4 (Education) to reviving the city of Mosul and administering the Global Tsunami Warning System. DFID is well placed to act as the lead department for UNESCO within HMG and will continue to do so.

UNESCO

lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for the United Kingdom continuing to remain a member of UNESCO.

lord bates: The UK remains a member of UNESCO and there has been no change to this position. The UK is committed to ensuring UK aid goes to the highest-performing multilateral agencies. We make ongoing assessments of multilateral agency performance, consideration of whether Agencies are providing value for tax payers’ money is an important part of these assessments.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Allowances

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what allowance is paid to Department for Work and Pensions officials based in offices outside London when they are required to stay overnight in London in connection with their work.

baroness buscombe: Allowances are not paid to DWP Officials based in offices outside London when they are required to stay overnight in London on official business. When staff are required to travel during the course of official business they must do so in accordance with DWP Business Travel Policies and using DWP travel providers with agreed rates for hotels. Officials can claim meal subsistence for reimbursement of actual costs incurred up to specific policy limits and in line with HMRC rules. Where officials have longer term arrangements for detached duty they can only claim lodging expenses in line with agreed rates as per policy.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water Voles: Conservation

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent further decline in the population of water voles in the UK.

lord gardiner of kimble: The water vole is a protected species, listed under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and a species identified as being of principal importance under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. As part of this, the species has a number of priority actions assigned to it, and as this is a devolved matter, the following information refers to actions in England. Natural England is committed to the actions set out in the Species Action Plan for water voles, alongside partner organisations noted within the plan, and recently published ‘A Review of the Population and Conservation Status of British Mammals’, which identifies and confirms areas of work where continued resource should be placed to conserve and enhance water vole populations. Natural England is working with Sussex University, Brighton University, the Wildlife Trusts and People’s Trust for Endangered Species to undertake a habitat suitability mapping exercise to maximise conservation gain using a landscape scale approach. Dependent on these findings and the results of another project, with WildCru (Oxford University) and specialist water vole consultants assessing mitigation techniques used in development, Natural England is considering adapting its licensing policies with the aim of maximising conservation gain for the species at a landscape scale. Since 2010 the Environment Agency has delivered 328 projects that included habitat creation or improvement for the benefit of water voles. It has restored 6,725 hectares and created 6,330 hectares of priority habitat in rivers, lakes and coastal waters. The Environment Agency has delivered training to relevant staff across its organisation to raise awareness of water voles and their protection, and screens its activities to ensure water voles and their habitats are protected from damage. Agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship provide suitable habitat for wildlife including water voles and other small mammals. Scheme options that benefit water voles include buffer strips alongside ponds, ditches, and other watercourses and fencing alongside watercourses to protect bankside vegetation. In addition, the Forestry Commission is currently undertaking a flagship project for water voles in Kielder Forest. Having eradicated the mink there, the Forestry Commission is working with the Tyne Rivers Trust, Northumberland Wildlife Trust and the University of Aberdeen on the restoration of water voles and their habitats across the North Tyne catchment, and has already released hundreds of water voles into the area.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Allowances

lord foulkes of cumnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what allowance is paid to Scotland Office officials based in Scotland when they are required to stay overnight in London in connection with their work.

lord duncan of springbank: The Scotland Office travel and subsistence guidance allows officials who incur out of pocket or additional expenses while on official business to claim up to £24.10 and up to £5 for personal incidental expenses of receipted expenditure for an overnight stay in London while on official business.

Treasury

Overseas Loans: Republic of Ireland

lord kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have loanedto the Republic of Ireland during the past decade; and of those loans, (1) what capital has been repaid, and (2) how much interest has been received.

lord bates: I refer the noble Lord to the most recent statutory report under section 2 of the Loans to Ireland Act 2010, which was laid in Parliament on 15 October 2018. The report shows that the outstanding principal is £3,226,960,000, with repayments due in tranches from 15 April 2019 until 26 March 2021. Interest payments have been paid twice-yearly since 15 December 2011 and payments received so far total £483,359,983.93. The government expects the loan to be repaid on time and in full. [1] The statutory report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-under-section-2-of-the-loans-to-ireland-act-2010-1-april-2018-to-30-september-2018  



Loans to Ireland
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